Comparison of CARE START HRP2 Rapid Malaria Test with Light Microscopy for Guiding Patient’s Treatment of Fever in Nigerian Endemic Areas

Abstract

To compare the diagnostic performance of CARE START malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) with reference to light microscopy. Microscopy remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis. However, its accuracy under operational conditions in Africa where malaria is highly endemic is often low. This study is therefore to test the performance of the CARE START rapid diagnostic test with light microscopy. Field stain A and B Manufactured by PARK Scientific ltd, UK were used for the Light Microscopy. The CARE START rapid test manufactured by ACCESS BIO INC, USA was used for the rapid test. Of the 263 patients tested, 139 (52.9%) were positive for malaria parasites with the Light Microscopy and 112 (42.6%) were positive for malaria parasite by RDT CARE START HRP2. The sensitivity and specificity of the RDT was found to be 78.4% and 97.6% respectively while the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) and the Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were found to be 97.3% and 80.1%respectively. The CareStart™ RDT test showed good sensitivity and specificity with a good agreement to the reference light microscopy. The RDT could therefore be used in place of light microscopy, which in poor set-ups cannot be used routinely.